Carly McIntosh: Tracing roots to Native great great grandfather

I headed to the Manitoba Legislative Library in Winnipeg. Walking into the Manitoba Legislative Library known as a historic building containing millions of historical documents and historical microfilms that I never knew existed. In the Manitoba Legislative Library I asked one researcher where it would be good to start a search on family history, and he pointed me in the direction of The Henderson Directory. The researchers had given me a tip into looking for barber shops through The Henderson Directory, and that is when I found the full name of my great grandfather known as Alfred George Tinnings, his wife Sarah Margaret and his daughter Pat. In The Henderson Directory also read the address of where the Tinning's had lived at the time in Brandon, Manitoba. At the moment of seeing the name of my great grandfather the smile on my face must have been a mile long.

Now in knowing the full name of my great grandfather it had opened so many doors.

I then went into a dark room to start looking at The Brandon Sun daily newspaper on microfilm, while the historic researchers were looking for the obituary of my great grandfather. I was looking through the microfilm for about an hour, when all of the sudden one of the researchers found the obituary of Alfred George Tinning's wife. Another historic researcher had also found articles as well as advertisements with my great grandfather's name placed in them. For the historians they were having a harder time finding Alfred George Tinning's obituary but they told me that they would keep looking and if they found anything they would contact me right away.

Once I got home in the late afternoon I opened the door and the phone started ringing. I had answered the phone and they had told me that they found my great grandfather's obituary, and that they would send it straight to my e-mail.